In many ways, science is religion, and really all religion is belief and faith. Whether you are doing a chemistry experiment or saying God created Earth, you always have a sense of uncertainty. Nothing is ever completely certain, just like you never know whether our existence are merely our brains in a jar controlled by a master computer which are creating all the images, sounds and smells in our heads. All in all, you can only believe, never sure of, that 1+1=2, that E=MC^2 and that mixing red and green makes black, just like how Christians can only believe that there is a Jesus.
The Simpsons, when you get right down to it, is like a religion, or a belief. And the Simpsons believe in family. Family is presented to be the most important factor in life, and everything else (wealth, fame) goes below it. This "religion" appeals to so many people because it is what a lot of us believe in. By believing in family, or the theme of the Simpsons, we believe that we achieve happiness. When we see Homer sacrificing his dream job in "And Maggie Makes Three", he is doing it because Homer loves Maggie,and cares about his family members. When Homer gets a second job in "Lisa's pony", it is because Homer cares about Lisa, showing that he believes in family.
Having a faith, or some people call heart, in a cartoon is really the highest praise you can give to any cartoon. The ability to make lifeless drawings into something that has heart and that can make people truly care about and believe in is astounding. When you compare all the cartoons that have been made in history, no other show has had the ability to present a belief while maintaining satire and other elements that appeals to its audiences. Unfortunately, as Classical Simpsons transitioned into Modern Simpsons, much of that heart is lost, much of the faith that the Classical Simpsons once held dear is forgotten and trashed away. As a result, you see what typical online fans call "jerkass Homer", improper characterisations and etcetera. In many ways, I believe, and this is my personal opinion only, that what makes a lot of online fans unhappy about current Simpsons is because the doors to the Simpsons "church" closed, and people who once "worshipped" there are thrown onto the streets.
Therefore, I watch the Simpsons because I believe in family and believe in the Simpsons "religion". As I have said before, the most important thing in this Simpsons "religion" is heart and faith, and those are directly affected by characterisation. When the characters act in character in a way that endorses family well-being, then I am happy. When the characters do not, then I am sad.
There are many people out there who say atheists are bad. But in my view, one cannot be an atheist. If you believe in science, you are not an atheist because science is a religion by itself. For me, I am definitely not an atheist. I don't believe in any religions, but I do firmly believe in science and the Simpsons.
Note: not that anyone actually cares, but I will be starting to post episode reviews beginning in September. I had a one week vacation for the last week so that's why there were no posts.
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